BOONE, Iowa—Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has announced that Boone County’s Critical Materials Recycling, Inc. will receive a $600,000 grant to support its projects to create cost-effective recycling technologies, expand domestic energy capabilities and enhance wind energy systems. The Department of Energy will administer the award through its American-Made Challenges program, which is funded by the Grassley-backed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). 

“Iowa is a pioneer in renewable energies. These federal resources will facilitate the work Critical Materials Recycling is doing to build on our state’s proven leadership through innovations at the intersection of recycling processes and clean energy production,” Grassley said. “I’m always glad to see Iowans’ tax dollars put to good use in our state.” 

Specifically, the award will help Critical Materials Recycling commercialize its Acid-Free Dissolution Recycling technology — the only known technology that recovers critical materials from electronic waste without affecting the rest of the recycling process. Critical materials are necessary for clean energy production via wind turbines, solar panels, batteries and more. 

Grassley’s advocacy for renewable energy spans decades. In 1993, he shepherded into law the first-ever wind energy production tax credit. Grassley also led the 2003 Energy Bill, which contained nearly $15.5 billion in tax incentives for Iowa-grown energy and laid the groundwork for the Renewable Fuel Standard in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. He has been recognized as a champion for clean energy production and a leader in biofuels. 

Critical Materials Recycling, Inc. is located in the Boone Industrial Park and has been working with the City of Boone in their efforts to commercialize their recycling process, especially dealing some of the waste water discharge.